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1 – 10 of over 21000Krishna R. Reddy, Robin Semer and Jeffrey A. Adams
This paper presents the results of laboratory experiments that investigate the removal of volatile organic compounds from saturated soils through the use of air sparging. Three…
Abstract
This paper presents the results of laboratory experiments that investigate the removal of volatile organic compounds from saturated soils through the use of air sparging. Three series of experiments were performed in a column test apparatus using two different soils to represent actual field conditions, namely, a fine gravel and a medium‐to‐fine Ottawa sand (both obtained from sources near Chicago, Illinois, USA) contaminated with toluene, a major constituent of petroleum products. The results showed that toluene was removed from gravel very efficiently using air sparging; complete removal was achieved using a variety of air flow rates. However the toluene removal rates in tests using sand were significantly less. Even at the highest air flow rate used during testing, complete toluene removal took eight times longer than in comparable tests using gravel. With low air flow rates this was not achieved even after 17 hours of testing. It was further found that the injection of foams generated with surfactants, SDS and witconol SN70, at low air flow rates during the use of air sparging was found to accelerate the bulk removal of toluene in sand, but the use of surfactants did not facilitate the removal of residual levels of contamination.
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Yang Li, Zhaojun Yang, Fei Chen and Jin Zhao
This paper aims to investigate the effects of air inlet flow rate on the bearing cavity and operating conditions during the oil-air lubrication.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the effects of air inlet flow rate on the bearing cavity and operating conditions during the oil-air lubrication.
Design/methodology/approach
A model of oil-air lubrication of rolling bearings is established using computational fluid dynamics numerical simulation. Moreover, temperature and vibration experiments are carried out for comparisons and validation.
Findings
Results suggest that the velocity and pressure distributions of the oil-air flow inside the chamber are not uniform. Moreover, the uniform decreases with increasing air inlet flow rate. The non-uniform oil distribution inside the bearing significantly influences the bearing temperature rise and lubrication effect. Furthermore, the decrease in pressure uniformity enhances the vibration intensity and increases the amplitude of the vibration acceleration by more than 40 per cent. Increasing the air inlet flow rate improves lubrication and cooling efficiency but produces intense vibrations.
Originality/value
A method of establishing rolling bearings model under oil-air lubrication is presented in the paper. The effect of air inlet flow rate on flow uniform under oil-air lubrication has been researched insightfully. The results provide a useful reference to improve the oil-air lubrication system and enhance the operational stability of the motorized spindle.
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Ahmad Riaz, Chao Zhou, Ruobing Liang and Jili Zhang
This paper aims to present a numerical study on the natural convection, which operates either as an evaporator or condenser unit of the heat pump system to pre-cool and pre-heat…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present a numerical study on the natural convection, which operates either as an evaporator or condenser unit of the heat pump system to pre-cool and pre-heat the ambient fresh air.
Design/methodology/approach
This study focuses on natural air cooling or heating within the air channel considering the double skin configuration. Particular focus is given to the analysis of airflow and the heat transfer processes in an air channel to cool or heat the ambient fresh air. In this study, the physical model consists of one wall, either heated uniformly or cooled uniformly, whereas the other wall is adiabatic.
Findings
The results show that the variation of both velocity and temperature is observed as the flow transition occurs at the evaporator or condenser wall. In either case, the temperature rises in the range of 6.3–8.4°C with an increase in mass flow rate from 0.07–0.08 kg/s in the photovoltaic thermal condenser part, while in the photovoltaic thermal evaporator part, the change in mass flow rate from 0.048–0.061 kg/s causes a decrease in temperature from 7.1–4.5°C.
Practical implications
The solar-assisted photovoltaic thermal heat pump system, in building façade having an air layer application, is feasible for pre-heating and pre-cooling the ambient fresh air and also reduces the energy needed to treat the fresh air.
Originality/value
The influence of condensing and evaporating temperature under natural convection mode in double skin conformation is considered for pre-heating and pre-cooling of ambient fresh air.
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Chaitanya Dosapati and Mohan Jagadeesh Kumar Mandapati
Solar energy applications are limited because of its intermittent and discontinuous availability with respect to time. Hence, solar energy thermal conversion systems need…
Abstract
Purpose
Solar energy applications are limited because of its intermittent and discontinuous availability with respect to time. Hence, solar energy thermal conversion systems need integration with thermal storage units (TSUs) to use solar energy in off sunshine hours. This paper aims to perform thermal analysis of a solar air heater (SAH) integrated with a phase change material (PCM)-based TSU to supply hot air during night period.
Design/methodology/approach
An experimental setup with TSU as main component was prepared with SAH at its upward side, food chamber at its downward side as subcomponents. In TSU, paraffin wax was used as thermal energy storage material. Mass flow rate of air considered as an input parameter in the experiment. Two different absorber plates, namely, plane and ribbed absorber plates were used for the experimentation. Each day for a fixed mass flow of air, observations were made during charging and discharging of PCM.
Findings
Nusselt number and convection heat transfer coefficients were analytically calculated by considering flow through TSU as external flow over bank of tubes in a rectangular duct. A temperature drop of around 7-8°C during charging of PCM and temperature rise of around 4-5°C during discharging of PCM was observed from the experimental results. The average practical efficiency of TSU with ribbed absorber plate SAH during charging and discharging of PCM was 22 and 6 per cent, respectively, higher than that of TSU with plane absorber plate SAH.
Research limitations/implications
There are no limitations for research on SAH integrated with TSU. Different PCM including paraffin wax, Glauber’s salt, salt hydrates and water are used for thermal storage. Only limitation is lower efficiency of SAH integrated with TSU because of lower heat transfer coefficients with air as working medium. If it can improve heat transfer coefficients of air then heat transfer rates with these units will be higher.
Practical implications
There are no practical limitations for research on SAH integrated with TSU. Sophisticated instrumentation is needed to measure flow rates, temperatures and pressure variations of air.
Social implications
In poultry farms during night, chicks cannot survive at cold climatic conditions. Hence, hot air should be supplied to poultry farms whenever the atmospheric temperature drops. It is proposed that, in combination with TSUs, heat produced by SAH is stored in day time in the form of either sensible or latent heat and is retrieved to provide hot air in the night times. This will reduce total operating costs in poultry farms.
Originality/value
Conventionally, people are producing hot air by combusting coal in poultry forms. This cost around Rs. 75,000 per month for a batch of 225 to 250 chicks in a poultry form. Hot air could be produced economically during off sunshine hours from SAH integrated with TSU compared to the conventional method of coal burning. Present experimental investigations conducted to fill the literature gap in this area of research and to design a SAH integrated with TSU to produce hot air for poultry forms.
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IT has been stated above that the rate of heat transfer is closely proportional to the temperature difference between the plate and the free air stream, and over the laminar…
Abstract
IT has been stated above that the rate of heat transfer is closely proportional to the temperature difference between the plate and the free air stream, and over the laminar portion it will also be proportional to the conductivity of the air. It remains to consider to what extent the actual temperature of the air in the boundary layer will influence the rate of heat transfer. The conductivity of air increases with temperature by reason of the increased molecular velocities, and we might expect, therefore, that the hotter the surface the greater will be the rate of heat transfer per unit of temperature difference above that of the air. This is, in fact, found to be the case.
Nandkishor Sah and Mohan Jagadeesh Kumar Mandapati
Use of packed beds, enhanced tubes, nano-fluids and artificial ribs are few passive techniques to increase heat transfer in solar air heaters (SAHs). Artificial ribs attached to…
Abstract
Purpose
Use of packed beds, enhanced tubes, nano-fluids and artificial ribs are few passive techniques to increase heat transfer in solar air heaters (SAHs). Artificial ribs attached to the absorber plate of the SAH will enhance the turbulence near the plate. Experimental analyses are conducted to find the thermal performance of SAH with ribs of regular geometries including rectangular, semi-circular and triangular in cross section. This paper aims to present the improvement in thermal performance of SAH with modified-arc.
Design/methodology/approach
Absorber plates are designed with ribs of rectangular, triangular, semi-circular and modified-arc in cross-section using existing data in literature. Physical dimensions of the ribs are designed by adapting procedure from literature. Absorber plates are manufactured with ribs and coated with blackboard paint and fixed to the existing SAH. Experiments are conducted with a variable-speed blower fixed to the inlet section of the SAH, which is used to supply air at different mass flow rates in a range between 0.495 and 0.557 kg/min.
Findings
Efficiency is found to be a strong function of mass flow rate of air through the SAH from the present experimental investigations. It was found that use of modified-arc ribs enhanced the efficiency of SAH by 105.35 per cent compared to SAH with plane absorber plate. Efficiency of SAH with modified-arc ribs is found to be higher by 24.43, 45.61 and 63.21 per cent, respectively, for SAH with semi-circular, rectangular and triangular arc ribs on its absorber plate.
Research limitations/implications
Experiments on SAH are conducted during daytime from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm in open atmospheric conditions. Solar intensity is continuously changing during the experimentation from morning to evening. Calculations are made based on the observations with average values of solar intensity and temperature readings. More accurate values of SAH efficiency can be obtained with constant heat supply to the absorber plate by simulating the experimental setup in indoor conditions. Temperature and flow rate observations could be more accurate with sophisticated instrumentation rather than using simple thermocouples and orifice meters.
Social implications
SAHs are basically used to supply hot air for both rural and industrial applications. These are used for crop drying, preheating of air, removal of moisture from leather, chemicals, etc. Conventionally, formers in India are using open sun drying to remove moisture from agricultural products. In this method, the moisture can be removed up to a level of 20 to 25 per cent. Use of SAH can remove moisture up to below 5 per cent and process is clean without reducing the quality of agricultural products. Enhancing the efficiency of SAHs will surely increase its usage by formers for crop drying.
Originality/value
Use of artificial ribs on absorber plate of SAH is most economical among many of the active and passive techniques. Numerical and experimental investigations are found in literature with regular cross-sectional ribs, including rectangular, triangular and semi-circular. The present work proposed new shape of the ribs named as modified-arc, which was not presented in the literature. Experimental analysis proved that the use of modified-arc makes the SAH more efficient in heat transfer.
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P. Anil Kishan and Sukanta K. Dash
The purpose of the present investigation is to compute the circulation flow of a liquid in a closed chamber when the liquid is fired by a gas jet through number of nozzles.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the present investigation is to compute the circulation flow of a liquid in a closed chamber when the liquid is fired by a gas jet through number of nozzles.
Design/methodology/approach
The conservation equations for mass and momentum have been solved in a closed container along with the conservation of volume fraction of the secondary phase in order to take into account the gas phase present in the liquid. The drag force created by the gas on the liquid has been incorporated in the momentum equation as a source term and the resulting equations have been solved numerically using a finite volume technique in an unstructured grid employing a phase coupled pressure linked velocity solver for the pressure correction equation, which is usually known as the Eulerian Scheme for two phase flow solution. An eddy viscosity based k‐ε turbulence model for the mixture was considered to update the fluid viscosity with iterations and capture the turbulence in the overall mixture rather than computing the individual turbulence in both the phases, which was found to be extremely time‐consuming and computationally unstable to some extent.
Findings
The model thus developed was tried to predict the circulation flow rate in an experimental setup where air was injected to drive the water in a long U tube setup. The computed circulation flow rate was found to be within 15 percent deviation from the experimentally observed values. The circulation flow rate of water was found to be increasing with the injected airflow rate. After this model validation, circulation flow rate of steel in an industrial size Ruhrstal‐Haraeus (RH)‐degasser was computed by injecting argon into the liquid steel through the up‐leg of the RH vessel. It was found that the circulation flow rate of steel in the RH degasser was increasing when the argon flow was being varied from 800 to 1,600 NL/min, which confirms the industrial findings.
Research limitations/implications
The present computation could not use the energy equation to compute the swelling of the gas bubbles inside the chamber due to huge computing time requirement.
Practical implications
The present computation could compute realistically the circulation flow rate of water in a U tube when fired by a gas jet by using a two‐phase Eulerian model and hence this model can be effectively used for industrial applications where two‐phase flow comes into picture.
Originality/value
The original contribution of the paper is in the use of the state‐of the‐art Eulerian two‐phase flow model to predict circulation flow in an industrial size RH degasser.
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B. Norerama D. Pagukuman and M. Kamel Wan Ibrahim
The purpose of this paper is to present and discuss the external factors of the solar dryer design that influenced the thermal efficiency of the solar dryer that contribute to the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present and discuss the external factors of the solar dryer design that influenced the thermal efficiency of the solar dryer that contribute to the better quality of dried food products.
Design/methodology/approach
From the reviewed works of literature, the external factors including the drying temperature, airflow rate and relative humidity have significant effects to increase the rate of moisture diffusivity of the freshly harvested products during the drying process. The proper controls of airflow rate (Q), velocity (V), relative humidity (RH%) and drying temperature (°C) can influence the dried product quality. The dehydration ratio is the procedure to measure the quality of the dried food product.
Findings
The indirect solar dryer including the mixed-mode, hybrid and integrated was found shorter in drying time and energy-intensive compared to sun drying and direct drying. The recommended drying temperature is from 35.5°C to 70°C with 1–2 m/s velocity and 20%–60% relative humidity. The optimum thermal efficiency can be reached by additional devices, including solar collectors and solar accumulators. It gives a simultaneous effect and elongated the drying temperature 8%–10% higher than ambient temperature with 34%–40% energy saving. The recommended airflow rate for drying is 0.1204 to 0.0894 kg/s. Meanwhile, an airflow rate at 0.035–0.04 kg/m2 is recommended for an optimum drying kinetic performance.
Research limitations/implications
This paper discusses the influence of the external factors of the solar dryer design on the thermal performance of the solar dryer and final dried food products quality. Therefore, the findings cannot serve as a statistical generalization but should instead be viewed as the quantitative validation subjected to fundamentals of the solar dryer design process and qualitative observation of the dried food product quality.
Practical implications
A well-designed of solar dryer with low operating and initial fabrication cost, which is simple to operate is useful for the farmers to preserve surplus harvested crops to an acceptable and marketable foods product. The optimization of the external and internal factors can contribute to solar dryer thermal performance that later provides an organoleptic drying condition that results in good quality of dried product and better drying process. The recommended drying temperature for a drying method is between 35°C up to 70°C. Drying at 65.56°C was effective to kill microorganisms. Meanwhile, drying at 50°C consider as average drying temperature. The recommended airflow rate for drying is 0.1204 to 0.0894 kg/s. Meanwhile, air flowrate at 0.035–0.04 kg/m2 is recommended for optimum drying kinetic performance. The recommended value of aspect ratio and mass flow rate is 200 to 300 for an optimum evaporation rate. The good quality of dried products and good performance of solar dryers can be developed by proper control of airflow rate (Q), velocity (V), relative humidity (RH%) and drying temperature (°C).
Social implications
The proper control of the drying temperature, relative humidity and airflow rate during the drying process will influence the final dried food products in terms of shape, color, aroma, texture, rupture and nutritious value. It is crucial to control the drying parameters because over-drying caused an increment of energy cost and reduces the dry matter. The quick-drying will disturb the chemical process during fermentation to be completed.
Originality/value
This study identifies the potential of the solar drying method for dehydrating agricultural produces for later use with the organoleptic drying process. The organoleptic drying process can reduce mold growth by promising an effective diffusion of moisture from freshly harvested products. The research paper gives useful understandings that well-designed solar drying technology gives a significant effect on dried product quality.
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Chao Wang, Heyang Yu, Ni Zhan, Xubing Kang and Jingyu Zhang
The purpose of this paper is to develop a new vibration probe sensor for measurement of particle mass flow rate in gas–solid two phase flow.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a new vibration probe sensor for measurement of particle mass flow rate in gas–solid two phase flow.
Design/methodology/approach
A new vibration probe sensor based on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) piezoelectric film is designed. The particle impact model according to Hertz contacting theory is presented. The average amplitude, standard deviation and spectral peak at the natural frequency of the probe (21.2 kHz) of the signals acquired through experiments are chosen as characteristic quantities for further analysis.
Findings
Through experimental study of relation between three characteristic quantities and the mass flow rate and air flow velocity, a good regularity is found in the average amplitude and the spectral peaks at natural frequency of the probe. According to the particle impact model, the structure of quantitative model is built and parameters of two models are calculated from experimental data. Additionally, tests are made to estimate mass flow rate. The average errors are 5.85 and 4.26 per cent, while the maximum errors are 10.81 and 8.65 per cent. The spectral peak at natural frequency of the probe is more applicable for mass flow rate measurement.
Practical implications
The sensor designed and the quantitative models established may be used in dilute phase pneumatic conveying lines of coal-fired power plants, cement manufacturing facilities and so on.
Originality/value
First, the new sensor is designed and the quantitative models are established. Second, the spectral peak at natural frequency of the probe is found that can be used for measurement of mass flow rate.
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THE greater part of the development of the components of a complicated mechanism, such as an aircraft engine, can with advantage be done apart from the mechanism as a whole. The…
Abstract
THE greater part of the development of the components of a complicated mechanism, such as an aircraft engine, can with advantage be done apart from the mechanism as a whole. The study of any part can be more complete and improvements in operation effected more readily when it is not necessary to keep the whole working. A carburettor is in many respects a complete unit whose action may be studied with advantage apart from the engine with which it will be used. While the ultimate criterion of the performance of a carburettor is its behaviour on an engine, a great deal can be learned from suitable bench tests in which the engine is replaced by a suction plant; more use could be made of such testing methods than is done at present.